The present invention relates to a repellent composition for controlling termites, which are sprayed onto wooden structures or the like for the purpose of preventing damage to wood from being caused by termites.
Termites are insects belonging to the order Isoptera, and recently, the order Isoptera has been classified as a suborder of the order Dictyoptera. Unlike their name suggests, termites are insects that are more closely allied to cockroaches than to ants of the order Hymenoptera.
It is known that only two species of termites which are termites (Reticulitermes speratus kyushuensis Morimoto) and house termites (Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki) are found in Korea. Termites that are found in Korea are also named Japanese termites and are widely distributed throughout Korea. However, house termites are very rarely found in areas near the southern coast of Korea, including Busan and Jinju.
Termites are insects that cause serious damage to old wooden structures and wooden cultural assets. Termites penetrate or eat into wood, and thus it can be observed that wood damaged by termites has a space inside it. If the major portion of a wooden structure, which supports a load, is damaged by termites, unexpected events such as the collapse of the structure will occur.
In the prior art, in order to prevent the above-described damage to wooden structures from occurring, chemical insect repellents or insecticides were sprayed onto the wooden structures. However, because liquid agents that are mainly used in such repellents and insecticides are chemically synthesized compounds and contain large amounts of toxic synthetic organic solvents, the organic solvents evaporate during the spraying or application of the agents, and the volatile organic solvents come into contact with the skin or are inhaled into the body through the respiratory organ to cause chemical toxicity. In addition, the volatile organic solvents cause environmental pollution. In other words, the above-described methods have many problems, including the occurrence of resistance, secondary toxicity, and environmental pollution such as long-term residence, and disadvantages such as short-term effects.
Moreover, some natural termite repellents have a disadvantage in that they eliminate even queen ants required for the propagation of termites, and thus repel even worker ants known as natural enemies of termites, thereby suppressing a decrease in termites in the ecosystem. In order to overcome this problem, the development of natural substance-based repellents harmless to non-target animals has recently received increasing attention.
Korean Patent Publication No. 10-544605 (entitled “Arylpyrrole for protecting wood, wooden articles and wooden structures from attack of insects”) discloses a technology of blocking the access of wood-attacking insects (wood-eating insects such as termites, army ants and wood-destroying beetles) by presenting chemical stimuli to the insects. It discloses protecting wood from the attack of wood-eating insects by treating wood, wooden articles, wooden structures or soil around them with an arylpyrrole compound. It suggests that the compound is very effective for protecting wood, wooden articles and wooden structures from damage and destruction that are caused by particularly termites. However, the compound provides a toxin that is also effective against other insects, and thus can induce toxicity in undesired targets.
Korean Patent Publication No. 10-634082 (entitled “Termite control device”) discloses a termite control device for controlling termites that adversely affect the lifespan of wooden cultural assets or various wooden structures. This device adopts a physical heating method employing electric current and frequency and is based on the properties of termites that are weak against heat. However, this device causes a problem in terms of appearance, because it is disposed on facilities. In addition, it has disadvantages in that termites are introduced again when the device is removed, and in that power should be continuously supplied thereto.
In conclusion, the above-described patents do not disclose the effective and safe repelling of termites. In addition, the effective use of plant-based essence oil as an selective termite repellent has not yet been reported.